Aerial device.



No. 730,956. PATENTED JUNE 16, 1903.

. G. A. NEEDHAMJ AERIAL DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 21, 1902. N0MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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No. 730,956. I PATENTED JUNE 16, 1903.

' c. A. NEEDHAM.

AERIAL DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 21,1902. I

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UNITED STATES Patented June 16, 19th,.

PATENT OEEIoE.

CHARLES A. NEEDHAM, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO GEORGEG. NEEDHAM, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AERIAL DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 730,956, dated June16, 190

Application filed May 21, 1902. Serial No. 108,302. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES A. NEEDHAM, a citizen of the UnitedStates,and a resident of the borough of Manhattan, in the city and State of NewYork, have invented a new and useful Aerial Device, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention consists in aerial devices in which means are provided forsupporting persons comfortably from hangers fitted to travel along anelevated way or track.

. One object of my invention is to providea device of the abovecharacter in which the body of the person is supported yieldingly byamain spring and the limbs are supported by auxiliary springs of muchless tension, so as to permit the person to easily assume differentpositions in the air as the hangertravels along the elevated way ortrack and to exercise the different limbs, if so desired.

A further object is to provide an aerial de vice in which the personsupported by the hanger may propel the same along the elevated way ortrack at any desired speed by his own exertions.

A still further object is to provide certain improvements in theconstruction, form, and arrangement of the several parts whereby thedevice is rendered simple and effective.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in theaccompanying drawings,

in which- Figure 1 represents a manually-propelled aerial deviceembodying my invention in side elevation, a portion of the elevated wayorv track being broken away to show more clearly the parts carriedthereby, a person being shown supported by the hanger. Fig. 2 is atransverse section through the device shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is anenlarged detail view showing the interior arrangement of one of thetraction-wheels of the hanger and showing the pawl-and-ratchetconnection between the axle and the wheel. Fig. 4 is a side view of amodified form of aerial device, all of the limbs being yieldinglysupportedby auxiliary springs of lighter tension than thebody-supporting spring. Fig. 5 is a transverse section through theelevated way shown in Fig. 4 and the hanger used therewith. Fig. 6 is aside View of a modified form of aerial device in which a single trackonly is utilized. Fig. 7 is a transverse section showing more clearlythe hanger for use in connection with the single track or cable; andFig. Sis a view in side elevation of another modified form of aerialdevice,which is more particularly adapted for ladies use, in which theauxiliary springs for supporting the legs of the person are providedwith stirrups instead of rings.

Proceeding to describe in detail the device shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3,the elevated way or track is provided with two rails 1 and 2, which areformed on inwardly extended branches 3 and 4 of a U-shaped beam 5. Thehanger is denoted by 6, and it is provided with two pairs of wheelsarranged to travel along the rails l and 2 of the track. In the formshown herein the rear wheels 8 are free to travel along the tracks,while the frontwheels 7 are used as driving-wheels for propelling thehanger along the track. The spring for yieldingly supporting the body ofthe person is denoted by 9, one end of which is secured to the hanger 6and the other end of which is provided with an extended sling 10, whichis arranged to embrace the body portion of the person for asufficientdistance to comfortably support the person. In the present instance Ihave shown the sling as removably secured to the spring by means of asnap-hook 11, carried by the lower end of the spring, the sling 10 beingprovided at its end with gromets 12, fitted to be engaged by thesnap-hook 11. The lower limbs of the person are supported by means ofauxiliary springs 13 14 of considerably less tension loosely mounted onthe axle 20 of the said wheel. A retraction-spring 21 is secured at oneend to the stationary axle 20 and at its other end to the drum 19 forreturning the travels along the same.

drum to its normal position. A strap or cord 22 is passed one or moretimes around the drum l9 and is then secured to the same. This strap orcord 22 is engaged by an idlerpulley 23, secured to the side of thehanger 6 for guiding the strap or cord as it is operated for driving thewheel. The lower ends of the straps or cords 22 are preferably providedwith hand -rings 24, which may be grasped by the hands of the personsuspended from the hanger for enabling the person to drive the hangerforwardly along the elevated wayor track. An overhanging bracketsupport25 for the U-shaped bar 5 of the elevated waypr track is provided,whichbracketsupport may be of any desired form for supporting the way ortrack at the proper elevation from the ground.

In the form shown inFigs. 4 and 5 the elevated way comprises two cables26 27, supported by a bracket 28. In this case the hanger 6 is providedwith two pairs of loose traction-Wheels 7 and 8, which are fitted totravel along the cables 26 27 of the way. This elevated way or track maybe so arranged as to cause the hanger 6 to travel along the same bygravity, and the said way or track may also be made undulating, so as tocause the person carried by the hanger to rise and fall as the hangertravels along the said way. In this form the arms, as well as the legs,are supported by auxiliary springs, the springs for supporting the armsbeing denoted by 29 and 30. These arm-supporting springs are providedwith suitable rings 31 32 for engagement by the arms or hands of theperson being suspended from the hanger.

In the form shown in Figs. 6 and 7 the elevated way or track comprises asingle cable 33, and the hanger 6 is provided with only twotraction-wheels 7 and 8, arranged to run loosely along the said cable.

In the form shown in Fig. 8 the single cable 33 is shown as undulating,so as to cause the person to rise and fall as the hanger In this formalso the hanger 34. is shown as being provided with a singletraction-wheel 35, so as to give the person aswinging movement as Wellas a yielding up-and-down movement as the hanger travels along thetrack. In this view the suspension device is shown as more particularlyapplicable for use of ladies, the rear self strictly to the structureherein shown and described; but

What I claim is- 1. An aerial device comprising an elevated way ortrack, a hanger fitted to travel along the same, and meansfor suspendinga person from the hanger comprising a main spring for supporting .thebody of the person and auxiliary springs for supporting the limbs of theperson.

2. An aerial device comprising an elevated way or track, a hanger fittedto travel along the same, and means for suspending a person from thehanger comprising a main spring for supporting the body of the personand auxil iary springs for supporting the legs of the person.

3. An aerial device comprising an elevated way, or track, a hangerfitted to travel along the same, and means for suspending a person fromthe hanger comprisingamain spring for supporting the body of the personand auxiliary springs having attaching devices for engaging the limbs ofthe person, the said auxiliary springs being of less strength than themain spring to permit the free movement of the limbs of the person.

4. An aerial device comprising an elevated way or track, a hanger fittedto travel along the same, means for suspending a person from the hangercomprising a main spring for supporting the body of the person,auxiliary springs of less tension for supporting the legs of the personand means under the control of the arms of the person for propelling thehanger along the way or track.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname, in presence of two witnesses, this 17th day of May, 1902.

CHARLES A. NEEDHAM.

Witnesses:

FREDK. HAYNES, C. S. SUNDGREN.

